Game device



Nov. 7, 1944.

. W. STAU FFACH ER GAME DEV I C E FiledApril 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet lAZZornegs Nov. 7,1944- STAUFFACHER' GAME DEVICE Filed April s, 1943 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I k fir d- Patented Nov. 7, 1944 52362319 G E DEvioE Iwarnerfstauflac h er, Minn ap Minn 7 Application April 3, 1943, s r No481,662"

i9 chime; (p 273-1101" f.

- This invention relates to game devices. It is a general object of theinvention to pro-' vide a mechanical game devicema'de up'oftwoor 'morerelatively movable bases or supports adapted to have movable; gamepiecesresting thereon and also to provide means for deflecting the gamepieces from one of the base elements'hr supports to the other asrelative movement takes place between the base elements.Moref'specificall'y it is an object of'the' inve'n' tion to provide a'pair or more of rotary g'ainef piece supports with movable game piecesthereon and game piece transfer means-which is swin'gable over thesupp'ortsadj'acent their edgesto intercept and 'deflect'the game'pieceafrorii one rotary Support to the other. The game pieces aredistinctively shaped or identified'so' that the players can separatelyidentify them with the object of transferring only certainof the gamepieces from one rotary support to the other to segregate differentclasses of game pieces. a

These and other objects andadvantagesof the invention will more fullyappear from the' fol lowing description made in connection with'theaccompanying drawings, whereinlike reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout theviews, and, in which: v Fig. 1 is a plan viewof one 'form of the inven -f tion; f' Fig 2 is a side elevation thereof;and

Fig; 3 is a plan view ofa modified formof'the invention. g V

In Fig. 1' there isshown a main frame including' vertical side pieces 4and '5 connected by ends 6 and l. A shaft 8 is journalled betweentheframe and pieces 6 and 1 and is shownto extend throughout the lengths ofthe frame side members 4 and 5. A crank 9 is provided on one end of' theshaft 8 so that it can be rotated. The frame'is provided with a pair ofcross members Ill and l l which extend laterally from "the frame sidemembers 4 and 5 and are journalled between the shafts l 2 and I3 whicheiitend through and a considerable distance beyond the cross member II.The shaft 8 which is parallel to the laterally disposed shafts l2 andI3. is provided with a pulley l4, and the shafts l2 and I3 are providedwith pulleys l5 and I6. Suitable belts l1 and I8 connect the pulley l4with pulleys l5 and I5 respectively. 'The opposite ends of shafts l2 andI3 are provided with idler pulleys l9 and 20;"

Extending upwardly from opposite ends of the" cross member II are pivotpins 2| upon which are fitted for free rotation discs Hand 23'.

from the frame 'sidemember through the side rnmberl and some distancec'iut'wardly there' from} Adjacent the ends" of the diagonal crossmember 30 arevertically' disposed shafts 3 land 32. These shaftsektend'aboveand below the" cross member 30 as shown in Fig. 2 and on theThe pulleys and IS on the shafts'l2 and I3; are provided with frictionsurfaces 24 which are adapted to engage the un'dersides of the rotarydiscs 22 "and 23 so" thatwhe'n' the crank"9-ancl -51: shafts a arerotated pulleys l4, l5 and IE will also be rotated, and-theirdrive belts"and I8 are so arranged that the rotation ofth'e'se three pulleys isinthe same "direction; The idler pulleys' I9 and merely -support the discs22"and :23 at 1 points opposite to thelpulleys l5'and I6.

The frame side members4and 5 have'a cross member 25 positioned betweenthem adjacent the ends of said side members opposite from the end where:the hand crank '9 is 'Iocated; The "cross member 25 is provided with apivot pin 2'B"up'on which is rotatably mounted athird disc 21. A

pulley 28' having a frictionsurface' sir'nilartothe" pulleys l5 and i6is hired on'the 'shaft fl'ben'eath' the disc -2l,and"the"idlerpul1ey'29on shaft 8" 0 assists in supporting the opposite side of thedisc' 21." Because of the position bf 'thefr'iction roller are spaceqslightly apart so contact; and as shown in are-all atthe 'same level.-"f

A-diagonally disposed cross member 30 extends their edges do not lowerends of said shafts are connected cranks .33 and 34. 'The 'outer'ends ofsaid cranks are "2 the three discs connectedbya tie rod 34. The'shaft 31has asecond crank 35 mountedihereonfand itis connected 1 to an actuatingrod 36' which extends rearwardlyto the end 'of the'side'irame member 4adjacent the hand crank 9 where said operat r ing rodis connected: to apivoted 'handlever '31 wmehie suitably secured to'the side frame mem-"upper ends of'the'vertically "dispo'sedshafts' 3| "and' 32 have"transfendevices 'or ga'tes 38 and Pfsitioned on the discern; za and 21are mev able game pieces 40 and. The game pieces 40 are marked withplain circles, whereas the game pieces 4! are identified by coloredcircles.

In operation the game pieces may be placed upon the disc 21 which I terma transfer disc or support, and said game pieces are positioned aroundthe edge of said disc 21 To illustrate one method of playing the gamethe player may begin turning the hand crank 9 to rotate the main shaft}and. the three discs.22,, Hand 21. As indicated. by arrowsjdiscs' 22-,23 rotate. in the counterclockwise direction when the hand crank 9 isturned in a clockwise direction, and the transfer disc 21 will berotated in a clockwise direction. As the disc 21 rotates the game pieceswill successively approach either the trans-. fer gate 39 or gate 38.

the player might be diverting a desired game piece from the transferdisc 21 to one of the other discs such as the disc 22 he might alsointercept and transfer a game piece to the disc 23 because of thesimultaneous operation of the ate 39.

It should be noted that the friction pulley 28 at the outer end of theshaft 8, which is the pulley contacting and rotating the disc 21, ispositioned a different distance. from the periphery of its disc than thepulleys l5 and i6 whch drive discs 22 and 2 3. This causes the disc 21to In the event the game pieces are so arranged on disc. 21 that theycannot be conveniently transferred because of their spaced arrangementthe If it is desired to'corral or collect all the plain circulargame-pieces: 40- cm the disc 23, the gates should be operated so thatgate 39 will intercept and deflect the plain circled gamev pieces 40from: the disc 21- to. said disc 23;. and the gates might similarly" beoperated to transfer-the-colored game pieces 4-! from the transfer disc21: to thedisc 22. Of course, any suitable arrangement ofigamepieces canbe devised and the transfer from "one diS6:' tO the other: can bevariedat will. Pieces can. be transferred from disc 22-to the transfer disc2.|= and then to. disc; 23 and vice versa;

Another embodiment :of. the invention is shown in Fig. 3 wherein. thereisiprovided-a framecomposed. of side members 42eand 43 connected by end.members and 45; Intermediate the-ends of the side members 42. and. 43are cross members 45 41, 48; 49 and 51L- The intermediate: crossmembers, 48 and 5B are provided withvertically disposedpivot pins 5lonwhich are:

' rotatably positioned discs. 52; 53 and 54.. A.

shaft: 55 extends between the frame end. mem-- bers: 44' and 45 and isprovided. with a; hand; crank 56. Mounted on. shaft 55' for rotationtherewith are. frictional rollers or pulleys 5'! and idler rollersi58=Itshouldi'be noted. that the: frictional-rollers 51' beneath the discs52 and 54'- are disposed oppositely-to the friction. roller 51 lee--neath the disc 51'! so thatwhen the-crank 55 and.

shaft 55- are rotated thediscs 52. and 54 will turn in the samedirection and oppositely to the disc 53; Gates 59 on vertical shafts 601aredisposed at. opposite sides of the center disc, 53 and adjacent. theend discs 52 and: 54. Each shaft 60 upon which the; gates 59 are mountedhasa crank lever 5|; thereonwhich. is connected by alink 62' to apivoted hand lever 63 similar to hand lever: 31 in Figs; 11 and:,2. Inthis: embodi-- ment of the invention-thegates= 59 are independ+-entlvactuated by the-handl-levers 53 at opposite ends: of themaintrameof the. device. Thus a player can stand. at 'eachend of; the game:ap-

paratus-and 'independently'attempt to divert his or his. opponents gamepieces from the: centerdisc 53;

While the device: maybe-employed as a; game in. any desired'manner'there is onezmethodfiof;

manipulating it, particularly with reference tot the. embodiment shownin Flgspl. and 2.- The game pieces 40- and 41' aredifierentlymarked-ate? differentiate: between them but, for example, they said baseelementstand a same piece transfer do 'crank 9 can be'rotated until therelationship of theigame' pieces on the disc 21 and those on discs22 and23 have been changed because it sometimes happens that a game piecemight be shifted from one. discto the other accidentally whilethe playeris attempting to transfer another game piece. I 1

Itshould. also be noted that-the transfer disc 21 off'Figst 1. and 2and'the transfer disc 53in Fig: 3. are of larger diameter than the comple--menta-rydiscsadjacent to them. This also hasan efl'ect in. varyingtherelative speeds of. thediscs. Of course, it should beunderstood thatany suitable-means for creating a different relative. speed of rotationof the discs could be utilized.

From. the. foregoing it will be seen that I have provided asimplyconstructed and easily operated mechanical game apparatus which involvesthe transfer of movable game pieces mechanically from one toanother ofrelatively movable game; piece supports or discs by means of defleeting.transfer devices or gates which. can be actuated at will to pick, outand transfer differentlydesignatedgame pieces from one disc to another.The different methods of play can. of course, bevaried considerably. Intheembodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2: end gates ortransfer devices areoperated together, whereas in the embodiment of Fig; 3 the gates are in.dependently operated, and that form of the invention shown in Fig. 3is-considerably simplerin construction than that shown. in the first emabodiment.

While I have shown sets of three rotatable discsor supports for the.game pieces it is, of course, to be understood that more or less thanthree. can be used, and that various changes may 1 be made inzthe form;arrangement, details, and

each other, aplurality of game pieces adapted. to:

rest uponv said base elements, anda game-piece. transfer.v device.movably mounted adjacent said baseelements and movableover said elementsto:- deflect. game pieces from one base element to,

theotherh- .2. In a game device; a pair of rotary base-e1e-'= mentshaying edge portionsadjacent each o.ther'.= a plurality of game piecesadapted to-rest upon vicemovably mounted adjacent said-base elementsandmovable' over said. elements. to deflectgamepiefies from-one baseelement to the other:-

In a game devicepalpair of rotary. base ele'---. cnents having edgeportionsadjacenteach other;

fer device movably mounted adjacent said base elements and movable oversaid elements to deflect game pieces from one base element to the other.

4. The structure in claim 3, and said rotary base elements being movablein opposite directions.

5. In a game device, a pair of rotary base elements, an intermediaterotary transfer element adjacent edge portions of said pair of rotarybase elements, and game piece transfer devices movably mounted adjacentsaid base elements and said transfer element and movable over said baseelements and said transfer element to de-v fleet game pieces from saidbase elementsto said transfer element and from said transfer element tosaid base elements.

6. In a game device, a pair of rotary base elements, a rotary transferelement having portions thereof adjacent edge portions of said baseelements, the axis of rotation of said base elements and transferelement'forming the corners of a triangle, means for rotating said baseelements in the same direction, means for rotating said transfer elementin an opposite direction to said base elements, and game piece transfermeans movab y mounted adjacent said base elements and transfer elementand swingable over said elements to deflect game pieces from said baseelements to said transfer element and from said transfer element to saidbase elements.

. '7. The, structure in claim 6, and said transfer means including apair of transfer devices one,

for each base element, and means for simul taneously actuating saidtransfer device.

,8. In a game device, a pair of spaced rotary base elements, a rotarytransfer element between said base elements and having its edge adjacentthe edges of said'base elements, the axes of said transfer element and,said base elements being in alignment, means for rotating said baseelements in the same direction, means for rotating said transfer elementin a direction opposite to that of said base elements, a plurality ofgame pieces adapted to rest upon said base elements and said transferelement, and game piece transfer means located between said transferelement and said base elements, said transfer means b'eing mounted formovement over said base elements and said transfer element to deflectsaid game pieces from said base elements to said transfer element andfrom said transfer element to said base elements.

9. The structure in claim 8 and means for independently actuating thetransfer means for each base element.

WARNER STAUFFACHER.

